Fighters
by Don'tEvenBlink
Summary: Two years after Katniss and Peeta won, the districts are still under the Capitol's control District 12 wasn't bombed . What happens when the Anubis residents live in Panem? Will they truly fight to the death? Rated T for an obvious reason.
1. Chapter 1: The Reaping

**So, this is going to be… A Hunger Games story! Yeah, I hate blood and gore, but I'm trying this out… I know that it's sort of sudden, but I just got an urge. So, I hope this lives up to your expectations.**

Nina

I woke up in the little shed me and Gran lived in near the Seam. I smiled at the leaky ceiling, until I remembered what day it was. The Reaping day. Katniss and Peeta had won two years ago, but in the end, the fight wasn't enough. This time, the Capitol made everyone put their names in one hundred times, regardless of age.

I got up and looked at the dingy mirror next to the bathtub. My body was thin, malnourished, but I had some muscle. I quickly bathed and brushed out the snarls in my hair.

I got dressed into the soft yellow sundress that Gran had lain out on her bed before she had left for the Hob. My eyes softened; it was my mother's before she had died giving birth to me. My father had died in a mine explosion. I brushed away the tears, and slipped into the light cotton dress.

I checked my watch; it would take about fifteen minutes until the Reaping. I yanked on my favorite combat boots that contrasted with the dress, but were comfortable, and ran outside and down to the plaza.

When I got there, they analyzed my blood and let me through. I moved next to my friend, Caroline. Caroline hugged me. "Do you think one of us will be picked?" she whispered. "God, I hope not," was all I could say.

"Welcome to the seventy sixth reaping!" Effie Trinket yelled, cutting off our conversation. It was a very humid day, and everyone wanted this to be over. Twelve year olds and eighteen year olds bit their nails as she rattled on about the history. "And now…" she said, dragging it out. "Ladies first!" she grabbed a white slip from the girl's bowl. She unraveled it, and shouted, "Nina Martin!"

The crowd around me relaxed, except for Caroline. Caroline freaked out and shouted, tears streaming down her face. "I VOLUNTEER!" My mind, which was already in panic mode, completely freaked out. "NO!" I yelled, rushing out onto the aisle, Caroline gripping my arm. "Nina, let me go, take your place!" she screamed. "NO, I WANT THIS!" I yelled, shaking her off me. "NO YOU DON'T, YOU CAN'T FIGHT!" she wailed. "GET OFF OF ME, CAROLINE! I AM DOING THIS!" Caroline sobbed as the peace keepers shooed her back into the crowd. My body was completely numb as they brought me up to the stage, and set me next to Effie.

"Don't want her to steal the glory, eh?" she asked jokingly. My mind was numb, too, but I had to appear strong, even as my best friend's body wracked with sobs in the silent crowd. I forced my lips into a friendly smile, and said, hopefully seriously, "Well, you know there's no better glory than winning the Hunger Games."

The crowd didn't make a sound, and even Caroline had drawn her puffy face upwards in confusion. I didn't have to look at the big television screen to know I was fooling everyone. "Well, I'm glad to see some spunk!" Effie smiled almost condescendingly, as if she would enjoy watching twenty three tributes die in HD. Well, check that-she would. Sometimes I wondered if Capitol people needed 'special' help.

"And now the boys," Effie announced, and grabbed a piece of paper from that wretched glass bowl. She unraveled it, and called in that freakishly high, clear voice, "Alfie Lewis."

Alfie. I didn't know him all that well, but he was a local prankster, in the Seam like me. He stepped up nervously. "Let's give a warm welcome to our District 12 tributes!" The crowd clapped nervously, as if they didn't want to be hurt by the peace keepers.

I smiled at Alfie, but he looked at me like I was crazy. Maybe I was, but it was better than his complete shock and sad expression that he had had on when he stepped up slowly to the stage.

Before I could talk to the person I'd probably have to kill, the peace keepers led us to the justice building, where I was led to a room with a plush carpet and comfy chairs. I sat peacefully in the silent room. I'd never actually been to the justice building, and this was no doubt the last time. This was one of the last days of my life.

The first person to come in, surprisingly, was Katniss Everdeen. She had a dull expression, because Prim had died. Everyone knew she wasn't over it yet.

"Hi," she said bleakly. "I'll be your mentor." I was surprised. I didn't want Haymitch, but she didn't seem in a good shape. "I know, but Peeta's doing it, too." Oh. Peeta was a really nice guy, and he was probably trying to lift Katniss out of that shell. I placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's hard," I said simply.

She looked at me hard, and said, "Good luck. You'll need it," and she abruptly left, leaving perplexed.

Gran came in next. No words needed to be said; she just held me quietly, wiping away the tears that were leaking from my eyes.

"Gran…" I said hoarsely, pulling away. "I know it was an act. But, keep on acting. And I love you," she promised, kissing my forehead. I grabbed my skirt, and wiped away the remaining tears.

The peace keepers came in and tapped my gran's shoulder. "Bye, sweetheart, and survive," she said, and let the peace keepers lead her away.

Before I could register that that may be the last time I saw her, Caroline rushed in. "Nina…" she sobbed, clutching my shoulders hard. I let her embrace me, trying to keep my own tears at bay. "Nina, you are strong. You WILL get through this." She reached into her pocket and removed a locket with an eye as the charm. "Your gran gave this to me in the hall. It was your mother's. She said to use it as your emblem in the arena," she said, pressing it into my palm. I just stared at it. I had seen pictures of her wearing it, and I knew for a fact that Gran had kept in a pocket over her heart. It was so precious to Gran, and the next time she'd see it would be on my dead body being shipped back to District 12.

"Thanks," I whispered, taking the delicate clasp and unhooking it gently. I put it on, and gazed down at the necklace, which was almost emanating hope. Gran thought I could survive. I hope to god she's right.

**I know that everyone knows that Nina survives, but I may put in a twist. Teehee.**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	2. Chapter 2: I'm not falling for it

**I feel sad. I only got two reviews for the beginning of this. I know that crossovers don't tend to be as popular as non-crossovers, but I hope that this becomes popular. Today's shout out goes out to Rutter66463, for being my first ever review on this!**

"It is time to go to the train," a peace keeper rasped as he led Caroline out the door. _He needs to stop smoking,_ I thought as he pushed me out of the room. That thought made me crack up. Maybe my nerves really had broken my sanity, or maybe it was the thought of something other than death, but a good laugh was what I needed, because I doubled over, stopping the peace keepers. Tears came to my eyes, which was good, because I needed to cry.

The peace keepers looked at each other in confusion. One of them mouthed, _No wonder she wants this,_ to another, which made me laugh all the more, so much that I started wheezing. "Are you alright, ma'am?" The raspy one asked. I caught my breath, regained my composure, and said, "Let's go." But, I giggled all the way over to the station.

When we reached the train station, a small, dilapidated structure made out of rotten wood and on the verge of collapse, we stopped. Cameras were following us, so I turned around and gave a thumbs-up to it. _Might as well carry this to the extreme, _I thought, as we stood on a platform covered in fungi. Then, my vision blurred, and all of a sudden, a train had arrived. It was superfast, and unlike any other invention I'd seen. It was sleek and shiny and new, not the creaky, need-to-be oiled pitchforks and other contraptions. Indeed, the people of District 12 sometimes needed to be oiled too, and cleaned of the sadness that they carry with them, like a damp wipe cleans a dirty window.

These people, however, didn't need to be oiled at all. Effie bounced around like a rubber ball on concrete, and the people attending to me and my crazy self were bubbly and full of life. I assured the maids and butlers I was fine and quickly rushed to my sleeping car.

Inside was a waterbed with white new sheets, a large TV, a closet, a desk, and a vanity. I bounced on the bed, but not before spritzing some Capitol perfume on me.

I turned on the television, flipping through it until I got tired of pressing the button. I let it settle on some news program that was filming live from the Capitol.

"…Reaping today," the blue skinned, freakishly thin reporter said. "In honor of the very special day, let's take a look at the seventy third Hunger Games." I giggled silently, since they were skipping the Hunger Games were Katniss and Peeta won.

It showed all of the tributes, getting ready to get off their platforms. At the cornucopia, nine people got killed while the rest, except the careers, fled into the sanctuary of the woods. It did a close-up on the tributes. Both of the District 12 people died, and it showed their blank eyes, their still bodies.

Suddenly I became sick, and rushed to the toilet and retched violently. Breakfast came up, then mucus. I couldn't stop heaving, and found peace on the cool tiled floor.

They were pampering us, making us believe everything would be alright. Then, they were going to kill us, and take the last person standing and torture them some more. It was sick, totally sick. I hated the Capitol people; the way they made us give up our lives like it was nothing. Suddenly the perfume I spritzed stung my skin, clogged my nose, and made my pores disintegrate slowly. I stripped off my clothes quickly, and jumped into the shower. I scrubbed every inch of my body, yet I didn't use soap or shampoo. That would make me smell Capitol, make me believe they cared. I turned the water boiling hot, yet I didn't want to turn it down, for fear the sickly sweet scent would still be on me.

I finally got out, but instead of heading to supper, or going to the oh-so-comfy waterbed, or even turning off the TV, I made a bed out of towels and crept into it naked. I shivered, cold, but I wouldn't move, no, I wouldn't. I would just lay in the empty bathroom, my skin red hot, and the air cold. The only article of clothing I had on was my Eye of Horus necklace, and I grabbed onto it as I closed my eyes, wanting the comfort of sleep to overwhelm my other senses. I hoped I would never wake up, that I would die peacefully instead of bloodily, to defy the Capitol. I fell into in uneasy sleep, cursing President Snow's name.

When I woke up, I was in a bathrobe on my waterbed. A dark-skinned boy sat in a chair next to the desk, watching me as if I was a rabid animal. When he saw me open my eyes, he threw his hands up, as if surrendering. "What are you doing?" I asked sleepily, rubbing my eyes. He slowly lowered them down, and Alfie asked, "You aren't crazy?" I wanted to laugh. "No, of course I'm not. Why are you here, though?" "I found you on some towels, clutching your necklace and yelling cuss words in your sleep. I brought you here," he answered.

"Look, you can leave now," I said, annoyed, as I stood up carefully. He went to the door, but paused. Alfie turned around, and asked, "Why didn't you let her take your place?" I paused, considering how to answer. "I wanted to do the Hunger Games," I simply said. "No, really. I can tell in your eyes that you think it's disgusting, just like me. Why not let her?" "She was my best friend. I can't let her die for me," I told him. He nodded. "Why were you on a towel bed?" he inquired also.

"I hate the Capitol so much. I don't want to fight in their games, I don't want to accept that people, including you, might die before my eyes, maybe by my own hands, and I sure as hell won't accept their kindness. Anymore questions?" he just shook his head_. _"You know, they want to meet with you. Katniss and Peeta and Haymitch, I mean. I think that they know that you have a better chance than me." He said the last part so confidently I wanted to cry. A sixteen year old boy is accepting his death graciously. What was wrong with this stupid nation? "Alfie…if it comes down to the two of us, I'll kill myself. I have nothing to live for." He stared at me. "Are you sure you aren't crazy?" he asked. I laughed, and looped my arm around his. "Let's meet the last friendly people we'll ever see," I told him matter-of-factly.

**So, how'd you guys like it? Tell me in your review!**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	3. Chapter 3: Mini Katniss and Peeta

**Ta-da! Here comes the latest chapter!**

Haymitch was staring at me. Hard. Then, he started chuckling. He said drunkenly, "Ah, mini Katniss and Peeta! How are you two?" I glared at him, and sat down. Katniss put a hand on my shoulder, and gave me a look that said, _it's frustrating but I'll help you. _I nodded, and stared down at the plate of food down in front of me. There was diamond shaped bread with ripples down the middle, filled with a sweet jam. Next to it was scrambled eggs, bacon, and flat, sweet breads that tasted like cake. It was covered with maple syrup and butter. "What are these?" I asked, pointing to the rippled bread and the flat cake. "That is a croissant and pancakes," Peeta replied, almost as if he couldn't believe that I didn't know them.

"Not everyone owns a bakery, bread boy," Haymitch said, slurred, drinking from a cup that smelled suspiciously like alcohol. I sipped the orange liquid in my cup, and found it was citrusy. Katniss, recognizing the amazed look on my face, said that it was made from oranges and called orange juice.

"Okay, now that we're refreshed, let's talk about talents. Are you guys fighters or die-ers?" Haymitch asked. I looked down, embarrassed. I had never held any weapon except a knife in my life.

Haymitch noticed the look on my face, and laughed. "Looks like she isn't like Katniss after all!" He broke into uncontrollable giggling.

Katniss looked me up and down. "Can you run?" she asked. I nodded. "I can also paint, but that won't help much." She looked me up and down, and handed me her steak knife. "Why this?" I asked, turning over the sharp blade. Throw it at that seam," she said, pointing at a specific seam. I closed my right eye, and tried to visualize me hitting it. I'd have to throw hard…I tossed it hard. It stuck right in the seam.

Haymitch raised his eyebrow. "That's the same seam that Katniss hit…" he mumbled. Katniss looked at me again, and said, "Have you ever considered a bow and arrow?"

"We're here!" Alfie said, gaping out the train's window. I rolled my eyes, returning to the book I had found under my bedside table. We were in my room. Alfie and I had agreed that if we saw each other in the arena, we wouldn't kill each other, so we were hanging out in my room. I didn't like the idea of having friends, but Alfie was really cool, it turns out.

I checked the window for perhaps a second before trying to concentrate on the book again. _I hate the Capitol, I hate the Capitol, I hate the Capitol, _I chanted in my head, but I couldn't believe how pretty it was in a modern beauty kind of way. Stainless steel buildings rose like shiny mountains, scraping the sky, making it bleed white puffy clouds that floated around in the azure.

The people, however, looked like an odd assortment of animals, aliens, and zombies. Most had neon or pastel skin, and their bodies were almost catlike, the way it was altered by surgery. "A crowd of zombies and aliens…" Alfie mused. I whacked him in the arm.

"Hey, tributes, we're stopping," Haymitch called. I gulped, and turned to Alfie. "So, how are you going to survive?" I asked him. "I'm going to die in the bloodbath," he said like it was no biggie. "WHAT? You can't!" I exclaimed. "Well, I'm just going to stand on my platform and wait for a spear," he said calmly. "WHY?" I almost yelled at him. "There's no use trying to survive when I am not a good runner, I can't fight, and I have no possible chance of surviving," he said. "No, you are going to survive," I stubbornly said. "Whatever. Are we going or not? I want to meet the zombie people," he said. I rolled my eyes, but got out of the car, trying to formulate a plan for him.

**Bye! Adios! Aloha! Guda-bya!**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	4. Chapter 4: Friends

**So, I have some sad news. I am going on a family vacation to the beach, and the beach house we have doesn't have internet. And, we are going for two weeks. I'm leaving on Sunday. But, because of this unplanned hiatus, tomorrow I'm updating every story that is active right now! Hopefully that will show you guys that I actually care that I have followers, and that it's only two weeks. I'll miss you guys!**

I was in a room full of peacocks. At least, that was how I saw it. They were Octavia, Flavius and Venia. Venia had aqua blue hair filled with feathers, even though it hadn't been last year when they came on, cheering Katniss and Peeta on. Octavia had pea green skin, but really pretty auburn hair. Flavius had extremely bright neon curls, and looked like his skin had been stretched across his bony body.

Flavius moaned at the sight of my hair. "This is terrible!" he practically screamed as he forced my head into a tub of warm water. "Look at these eyebrows!" Venia said as she plucked away most of it. "Oh, and all of the hair on her body, too," she added, looking disgusted. "Her nails are okay, though," Octavia mentioned as she painted them with blue and white. I wondered what the colors were for.

After Venia had ripped off every piece of hair on my skin except my scalp, and Flavius made my hair fall in crimped pieces down my back, and Octavia had finished my finger and toenails, they abruptly left. I pulled my robe on-they had taken it off while groaning about my body and how 'grossly' thin it was- a man came in. He didn't look marked by the Capitol, oddly enough. But he definitely wasn't the stylist who did Katniss and Peeta, though.

He circled me, and finally came to a stop in front of me. "I trust you know what my brother did with Katniss and Peeta last year?" I nodded, noting that he must be honoring his brother or something. "Well, today, you'll be newer. Literally," he said, pointing to my fingers. "White and blue flames," I whispered, getting it. "Yes. You'll be-excuse the pun-hotter than even Katniss. Oh, by the way, I'm Ashe," Ashe pointed to a dress that was on the vanity. It was a sleeveless white dress with blue flames licking at the bottom, and it ended just above my breasts with a flame-licking design, so it was white hot flames with blue burning at the bottom. "Cool," I said, fingering it. He smiled, bittersweet, and I knew the design reminded him of Cinna.

He left me so I could get changed. I got into it and checked myself out in the mirror. It was a really cool design, but I wasn't on fire or anything.

I stepped out into the hallway, and looked down it nervously. There, at the end of the hallway, I saw Alfie. He was arguing with a woman, but stopped when he saw me waving to him, and quickly hurried over. "Wow, Nina, you look hot." The woman looked me over. "You are the crazy girl?" She asked in that ridiculous Capitol accent. "Who's she?" I asked him. "Portia, my stylist." Portia smiled, but kept checking the hallway, as if she expected somebody to come down. I checked Alfie's outfit, and he was wearing blue pants and a pure white top that cut off in a flame design at the bottom and arms. "Hi, Portia, I'm not crazy, and yes I'm the crazy girl." I mentally slapped myself for my mix-up of words.

Alfie laughed, and was about to come up with a witty remark, when an intercom cut us off. "All tributes to the parade. Repeat all tributes to the parade." The annoying voice cut off, and I cursed under my breath. I had told myself I wasn't a Capitol puppet, but I'd been a kid in a candy store. I needed to remember that this may be one of the last days of my life.

I hurried to keep up with Portia as we hurried down to the stage area. We were loaded into a chariot, and Ashe stood next to it. "Good luck, he said, "And may the odds be ever in your favor." I smiled at the expression, but before I could hug him, our horses started trotting out.

The District 1 people, who make luxuries for the Capitol, were dressed in pure white, sparkly material. The girl, a blonde, smiling girl who kind of reminded me of the girl, Glimmer, smiled and waved her hand as the boy, a guy named Ron I think, just stared right ahead, never acknowledging the crowd of the girl.

District 2, which supplied weaponry, was dressed in a steel gray cloth. A tough looking girl with purple highlights and red hair wore a dress almost like a toga, while the boy, a tough looking boy with hair like mine, wore a simple shirt and stone gray pants.

District 3, which supplied electronics, were dressed in purple cloth with tiny lights on them, so they looked like shops in the winter that wreathed their stores with those lights, so I felt sorry for them. The boy was dark haired, with a kind face. He showed sympathy and almost hope, while the slightly Asian girl next to him was hard to the core.

District 4, the sea district, were dressed in net-like clothes, were a blonde kid who looked sporty, and a black haired girl that was husky, and evil-like.

Districts 5,6,7,8 and 9 passed without me being interested. In District 10 a mischievous blonde kid kind of reminded me of Alfie, but the girl, again, was bland. District 11 had a gentle, black haired pretty girl came out. She looked as gentle as the boy from District 3.

Then, it was our turn. We rode out in the arena, and everyone went wild. Was it our outfits? I looked down and saw that it looked like flames lapped up my legs and torso. The blue looked so hot I wouldn't survive, and the white was simply stunning. I poked Alfie's shoulder-he was looking amazed at the crowd-and pointed out our outfits. He noticed the burning and laughed from joy. I smacked his shoulder playfully. I was supposed to be the girl enjoying this, although I hated it with a passion.

He took it as a friendly gesture, and threw his arm around my shoulders. I laughed and pushed him away. The Capitol people loved the whole idea of us being 'friends' and cheered us on. I rolled my eyes at the crowd and whispered to Alfie, "Let's ham it up." I put my hand on his waist, and smiled at the crowd. We laughed as one person yelled, "KISS!" and shook our heads. But the chant had arisen in the crowd, so I rolled my eyes and screamed back, "WE'RE FRIENDS!" but the crowd could not be deterred. I pecked him on the cheek, and he jokingly put me in a dip, which was hard since we were in the chariot. The crowd screamed in delight, until he 'dropped' me.

I jumped up and waved to the crowd, and they howled with delight. I high-fived Alfie, and we waved once more before the horses carried us to the tunnel.

When we got to the tunnel, I hopped off as quickly as I could. I enjoyed it, but I shouldn't have. That was the time I was supposed to hate them, and I made them love me. Yet, after I hopped out of the chariot, I was encased in Ashe's hug. He pulled away, and said, "That was better than Katniss and Peeta!" Peeta pretended to be angry as he tenderly kissed Katniss's head, "Hey, we had true love going for us!" Katniss's eyes went misty, and I knew she missed Cinna. But, she actually had light in her eyes for once. I realized that Peeta was the one keeping her going. "Well, we need to _celebrate._" she put emphasis on celebrate, as if saying that she had hated victory dinners and such. Well, it made sense.

Alfie whispered, "Do you want to pretend to be in love?" in my ear. I whacked him in the arm again. "I'm taking that as a no," he said, pretending that the slap hurt. "Oh, please, it couldn't have hurt," I said, walking to the elevator. Katniss popped in next to me, and gave everyone a look. "Uh…we'll take the next one," Peeta said, clamping a hand over a whining Haymitch who had a massive hangover.

I watched the glass floor carry us to the twelfth floor. My last home before I died. I gulped.

Katniss grabbed my shoulder. I looked up at her. "I know," she whispered, her gray eyes holding such sadness that I feared they'd break. "What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked bravely, but my knees trembled. "I honestly believe you could survive," she confessed. "But, most people do throwing knives and swords. I think you may have a chance to learn how to use a bow and arrows." I stared at her. Katniss, the bow and arrow QUEEN wanted me to learn how to do it. And she thought I had a chance of survival.

"Yes, I will learn. But…could you teach me?" I asked timidly. I didn't want to practice in front of the tributes…that might kill me. "Sure. I'll get you out of the second day, and we'll practice on the roof," she promised. "What about Alfie? Do you think he could survive?" I asked hopefully. "So you guys are friends…Nina…" she glanced at me sadly. "Sometimes you just have to let go." _Rue, _I thought. I stared at her. She's been through so much…Alfie wasn't going to die. I would die for him before he did, just like I told him.

**Well, what do you think?**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	5. Chapter 5: Breakdown

**I'm tired of announcing my announcement. Just read the author's notes on The Last Prophecy, The Chosen Ones, or House of Fame.**

"So," Haymitch said drunkenly, "Miss smart ass Martin has a chance of survival, and goofball over here is guaranteed to die." Alfie stared down at his tomato soup sadly. "Haymitch, shut the hell up, before I shut it for you," I snapped, flinging my spoon down at my soup, splattering red on my dress that Ashe made.

We were at dinner, and of course the general topic was how _I _was going to survive. Peeta kept on shooting sad looks at Alfie, like he was trying to pick out which flowers to bring to his funeral. I was the one with only one friend, with only a grandma to mourn over my body. Why couldn't I be the hopeless one?

"Well, let's talk about the basics," Effie said easily, trying to take the edge out of the stare down that I was having with Haymitch. "Right. First off, run straight into the forest. If there's anything in your reach, grab it. Supplies are good, but aren't worth getting killed for," Katniss said plainly. "How do you know there's a forest?" I asked. "Almost always they have a sheltered area. It makes sneak attacks easier, therefore making more decent television," Haymitch said, dumping red wine into his mouth. "Haymitch and Katniss are right. Also, at the training area, do the knot stations, identifiable plant station, learn things that you don't know. Just don't show your talent, or the other tributes will use it to your advantage," added Peeta.

"So, do you guys have anything that you want to represent your district? They allow one item per person," Ashe said. I grabbed my necklace, which was hidden under my bra. I grabbed it, and held it out to him. "Wow, I've never seen a locket like this," he murmured, fingering it. "Just get it back to me, okay?" I asked. He nodded, and put it in his pocket.

"So, have you guys considered any allies, yet?" Haymitch asked, belching loudly. I considered for a moment, and said, "I want the guy from District 3." Haymitch gave me a get-real look. "And here I hoped you had better taste," I heard him mutter. He turned to Alfie. "What about you, joker? Have any ideas?" He considered for a moment, and looked at me doubtfully. He knew I wouldn't let him die in the bloodbath if I could help it. "The boy from District 10," he said.

Haymitch sighed and drank some more vodka. I was fed up with him being drunk. I mean, he was drowning in liquor while I and Alfie planned our deaths. He made me sick.

I grabbed my steak knife that an Avox had set out. I threw it right between his index and middle finger. It hit exactly where I meant it to, not a scratch on Haymitch.

Haymitch stared at his shattered cup, which was dripping vodka and glass. Then, he laughed. Long and hard, until tears came to his eyes. "What is wrong with you?" I asked crossly, standing up. "Looks like we have a career on our hands!" he yelled. Tears stung my eyes. I stomped out of the room, and slammed the door to my room. I threw myself on my bed, and buried my head in my arms.

_Why? _I asked myself. _Why me? Please, why me? I never did anything this terrible. _I wanted to punch something, preferably Haymitch. I grabbed a pillow and slammed it on the ground. That satisfied me, and I threw another across the room. I began throwing everything; the glass vase full of flowers, a chair at the wall, even more pillows along with most of my sheets. I broke down, and started sobbing in the middle of the mess.

"Can I come in?" A voice asked. I just shook my head, and buried my head deeper into my knees.

Two arms wrapped around my body, and rocked me. I looked up to see Katniss staring down at me. Her stare surprised me; it was full of care and sadness, like she wished she could do something, anything, to stop the pain.

"You remind me of Prim," she whispered. I nodded, and let her comfort me until my sobs eventually ceased. "I always wished I had somebody to comfort me here," she said quietly. I nodded, and wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry, I just lost it for a moment," I said, rubbing my eyes. "Everyone wants to see you," she said. I nodded, got up, and came out of my room, ready to face the Capitol again after my little breakdown.


	6. Chapter 6: The Other Reapings

**This chapter is dedicated to piperholly7 and karaliza76, both for giving me such great reviews**

Effie started screaming at me as soon as I came out, "WHAT WERE YOU DOING? I HEARD STUFF BEING THROWN! YOU'D BETTER HAVE NOT HARMED ANY MAHOGHANY!" I sighed, and sat down next to Alfie.

After Peeta soothed Effie enough, Haymitch came out, drinking, thankfully, some water. When he saw me, he almost looked sorry. I glared at him though, and the expression went away.

Effie spoke up, "We are going to watch the people get reaped. It helps with knowing their backgrounds." I sighed. I didn't want to become sympathetic. I'd rather be mad at everyone. I'd already made the mistake to opening up to Alfie and the boy from District 3.

Effie popped in the disc of the reaping anyway, so I slouched down on the sofa. The first district appeared. A green and yellow woman appeared, smiling. They cut out the part of Panem rising out of the dust of America, and she went to the girls' ball. "Amber Millington!" she called out. The pretty girl sadly came out of the crowd, and went up to the woman, her hands trembling.

She called out a weird boy's name, and there was some jostling over who would volunteer. At last, Ron came out, grinning widely.

Next up was District 2. A puffy haired guy with gold tattoos on every available surface of his body appeared, and called a name, Piper Williamson. The girl came up, shocked, until another girl who looked exactly like Piper ran out into the aisle. "I volunteer!" she gasped. Piper stared at her, shock and sadness washing over her. But Piper's twin took her place, and there was nothing Piper could do about it.

Piper screamed at the girl, "PATRICIA! NO, DON'T GO!" But the peace keepers were already leading Piper away, still kicking and screaming. The boy, Eddie, volunteered, of course.

In District 3, the girl, who was apparently called Joy, volunteered. On the other hand, the boy, Fabian, was reaped. His older brother wanted to take his place, but Fabian didn't let him. Alfie nudged me, and gave me a look that said, 'I now know why you did what you did.' I just stared at Fabian; he didn't deserve this. Nobody did.

District 4 wasn't that interesting. The blonde boy, Mick, was reaped, but it looked like he wanted to do it by the look on his face. The girl wrestled with a bunch of others to do it.

All of the districts again passed in a blur until District 10. The blonde boy actually volunteered for a scrawny little boy who stared at his family sadly. The girl was reaped.

In District 11, the gentle girl was reaped. She stared at her family sadly as she made her way up to the stage. The boy was also reaped.

Then, we saw me being reaped by Effie. I saw myself go out onto the aisle, and Caroline stumble out next to me. Caroline started screaming at me, but I finally got her off of me. They played what I had said that made me seem crazy loud and clear: "I WANT TO DO THIS!" I almost laughed as they did it again in slow motion. They sped up Alfie's reaping, and it faded to black.

Effie smiled. "An interesting bunch this year," she said. "But we have Nina." It took every ounce of my willpower not to punch her in that odd looking face.

**Yep…I have no other things to say.**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	7. Chapter 7: The First Day of Training

**So, I'm going with a new method. When I get 'writer pangs'-times when I just really want to further the plotline to one of my stories-I will write a chapter for that, then post it. It's just so hard to write when you don't want to write. (At least, that's my true writer's block problem :P.)**

I tossed and turned in my bed until I looked at the clock again. 10:15. Two minutes after I checked last time.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the faces of my opponents, still and lifeless. Their eyes were blank, and their mouths trickled blood from a knife I had thrown. I couldn't do it. I couldn't become a murderer.

I finally accepted that I wasn't going to get any sleep tonight, and decided to go up to the roof. I had noticed a door up to it, and thought it would be a good place to think.

I tried my door. It was locked. I shook my head. They obviously thought that I was crazy and had to be contained. Either that, or Haymitch ordered them to lock the door.

I felt my hair. Flavius had decided to pin it back, and I hadn't bothered to get changed when I flopped into my freshly made bed after the Reaping video.

Sure enough, a bobby pin was still in my hair. I carefully extracted it, and tried to pick the lock, like my gran had shown me once. Sure enough, it clicked. I put the pin back in my hair, and opened the door quietly.

I tiptoed down the carpeted hall, until I reached the door that led to the roof. It was unlocked.

I climbed the staircase carefully, the cold stone numbing my feet. The flimsy rooftop door appeared above me, and I increased my pace until my hand was on the knob.

I turned the knob, and stood on the concrete floor, staring at the Capitol at night. It was alive with lights. Automobile lights, building lights, hovercraft lights patrolling the dark sky.

I walked out, surveying the roof. Plants sat on the railing before the drop. I stared at the drop, wondering what would happen if I threw myself off it.

"You can't," a voice said behind me. I turned around, facing Peeta. "Why not?" I asked. In response, he picked up a piece of broken concrete and hurled it at the night sky. It flew straight as an arrow, until something invisible stopped it and burnt it to a crisp. "Oh," I murmured. "That's why."

I sat down and stared blankly at the night sky. "You aren't here for survival, are you?" Peeta guessed, situating himself next to me. I shook my head. "I'm just going to try to save Alfie, honestly." I laughed bitterly. Peeta shook his head. "You are the exact opposite of Katniss. She didn't trust me for the _longest _time. And she didn't love me until the war."

I took a deep breath. "Why?" I asked the sky. Now Peeta laughed bitterly. "You're strong. We need a new Mockingjay, too."

oOoOoOo

I woke up in my bed. I remembered walking down with Peeta, and he pulled me into a hug, and bade me to go to sleep. I had nodded numbly, and passed out on my bed. I almost smiled until I remembered where I was.

I glanced at the foot of the bed. There sat a white tank top and blue shorts. I dressed quickly, and tied my hair back. I took a deep breath, and came out of my bedroom.

oOoOoOo

After breakfast, Alfie and I found ourselves riding the elevator with Effie. "This is so exciting!" she squealed. She went on about a celebration party for the Hunger Games that she was going to, to see the beginning of the Hunger Games. "Oh, I wish I could be there in the arena, watching it in the stands," she said sadly. I exchanged a look with Alfie, and mouthed, 'And they say I'M the crazy one.' It took every ounce of Alfie's willpower not to crack up, or at least it looked like that.

After orientation, we were released to the stations. I followed Alfie to the plant identification table. I was surprisingly able to learn the plants, and most of them I knew.

Next we went to the rope-tying station, where the guy was already helping the blonde from District 1. I started with a fairly simple knot; while the girl, Amber, was doing snares so advanced it almost looked like an art.

My fingers seemed clumsy as I was doing the knot, when I watched her. Amber gave me a friendly smile, and said, "It's easier to go left over right. That leaves more room for the finishing knot." I tried her method, and it surprisingly worked. I thanked her, and was about to move on to the camouflage station, when Amber called out to me, "Wait! I'm almost done." She finished very hastily, and smiled at me, but in her eyes, there was the question: _Allies? _I had originally thought that Alfie would be my only ally (and the District 3 boy, in my dreams) but I found myself nodding, and beckoning her over.

oOoOoOo

As the day was drawing to a close, Amber asked, "Why are you avoiding the weapons stations?" I shook my head as I worked on making my skin like tree bark. "You never show your weapon skills until the actual Hunger Games." Amber sighed. "Well, unlike you, I have zero experience. Please?" I was seriously surprised. District 1 people were always snooty, at least the tributes were. They always secretly trained, and never said 'please'. I could only nod.

Amber squealed like I had given her the best present in the world, and dragged me over to my doom: knives. I took a knife, but didn't know what to do. I shouldn't perform in front of the Careers! Amber threw a knife, but instead of the dummy, it stuck to the wall. I sighed, and tried to miss as I threw the dagger. No luck; it was the dead center of where the heart would be.

Luckily no one noticed, but Amber, who goggled at me. "Hey, Amber, let's go over to the swords!" I said loudly, distracting her. I dragged her over, and picked up a sword. I motioned to Amber, who hastily grabbed a too-short sword for herself. "How can you _do _that?" she asked, while lunging towards me. "First off, are we allies or not?" I asked, hopping back from her point. "Well, with that knife I'd be scared not to pair up with you," she said, still advancing. "Shut up before someone hears," I hissed, doing a sloppy parry. "Well, you and I are going to rock the Games," she smiled, and put down her sword, and offered her hand. I looked around; making sure no one sees me. Then, I took her hand, grinning.

**It'll probably pick up from here. Maybe another chapter of Nina training and going to perform for the judges, and then the interviews of each person, and finally they go into the Hunger Games.**

**~ChocoAwesomeness~**


	8. Chapter 8: Angry

**Nothing to say. Let's read the story.**

"Any allies?" Effie asked as we ate in silence. "I was hanging with the boy from District 10 after Nina ditched me at the rope station," Alfie volunteered. "I was with the District 1 girl," I said, determined to get my knife through the tough but juicy meat the Avoxes had served. "District 1? Nice job," Haymitch said, drinking water. I had checked myself. "Whatever. She's nice," I told him. Katniss sighed, obviously thinking of Rue. I glanced at her apologetically. "So, did anyone distinguish their choice weapon?" "I'm thinking of using the knives, but Katniss is going to try to teach me bow and arrows," I volunteered, before shoving more meat into my mouth. "Great. Now, let's talk about interviews. I think Nina should play the sweet girl," Effie said, breaching the topic not-so-subtly. I just got up and left, taking a roll with me.

oOoOoOo

"It's fairly easy. You have to tilt the bow slightly, and close your left eye to get a good view on where you're shooting," Katniss instructed. I did what she said, but I barely hit the target. This was my fifteenth attempt, too.

"Okay, let's try a different approach," she said. She pulled out a sharp dagger and handed it to me. "Now, you aim with a knife and throw it, right? Imagine that with bows and arrows. The bow is the handle, the arrow the blade." I nodded, and grabbed the bow again. This time, it hit bulls-eye.

oOoOoOo

Later on, I sat alone outside the gym. Alfie was in there, performing for the Capitol. I was used to the idea of dying, but I still hated the Capitol for it. Just thinking about Alfie (and, admittedly, Amber, although I'd known her for a day) dead by my own hands had my blood boiling. If I won, I would be turned into a monster, a ruthless killing machine. If I didn't, I would be reuniting with my parents.

Alfie came out, looking nervous. "My turn," I muttered. "Is it bad?" I asked. "Yeah," Alfie said plainly. I nodded, and marched into the gym.

oOoOoOo

When I came in, the game makers were completely drunk, not an ounce of soberness left in them, but there was still an air of nervousness, and the catapult station was roped off. But, they still laughed as I marched in. They laughed as I fooled around with a bow and arrows, hitting a few bulls-eyes and a lot close to it. Then, one of them said, "Crazy girl's a killer," and they set off in a torrent of laughing, a lot of them wheezing and holding their sides.

_THAT IS ENOUGH! _I thought angrily, and casting a disdainful look at them, went over to the paint station. I didn't particularly like the paint, it was very sticky, but they'd have to do. The bottles were nearly empty, but I had enough paint for what I was going to do. I grabbed a dummy on the way there, and turned sideways so they couldn't see what I was painting with the dummy. Finally, when I decided it was lifelike enough, turned back towards them, so that they couldn't see the dummy's face while I grabbed a knife. I stepped back about fifty yards, and threw the knife. I smiled, knowing that I'd hit its heart. I swiveled the dummy towards the judges, leaving President Snow with a knife in his chest.

oOoOoOo

I didn't regret what I did, but still, nerves took over as everyone gathered around the television. I shouldn't care, but what if I got a 1? That would mark me as an easy kill, and I'd virtually have everyone on my tail.

"Just a few more moments!" squealed Effie as the weird Capitol program ended and it switched to the announcing of scores. I sucked in air sharply.

Katniss shot me a sideways glance. Haymitch just asked plainly, "What did you do?" I bit my lip. "I kind of…" I trailed on. Haymitch beckoned me to go on. "Alfie first," I said, looking at a very constipated-looking Alfie. "Well, I spotted a force field glitch on the balcony, so I decided to have some fun. The paint they have is mixed with some kind of adhesive, so I grabbed a catapult from the weapons stations, and started firing shot after shot of paint onto the force field. Eventually they couldn't see a thing, and I hurried out before they could kill me," Alfie finished. Haymitch was the first to react. He threw back his head and laughed long and hard.

Katniss's expression was blank, but Peeta grinned and said, "They must hate District 12 now. Last year I painted a picture of Rue dying, and Katniss hung a dummy where she painted the words 'Seneca Crane' on it." "That's not as bad as me," I mumbled. "What happened?" asked Effie, who was annoyed at Haymitch's reaction to Alfie's session. "I kind of painted a President Snow look-a-like on a training dummy and…threw a knife at him." I murmured the last part so no one could hear. "What?" Effie asked?" "I knifed President Snow, okay?" I asked.

"Oh my god," Effie whispered. Alfie stared at me in shock, and Haymitch threw back his head and just about died laughing. Peeta just shook his head as if he was waterlogged, and Katniss just smiled at me. Effie was about to start ranting about carelessness and a lack of patriotism, when they started announcing scores. My lecture would have to wait.

The boy from District 1 pulled a 10, which wasn't surprising, but Amber got a seven. That one was a shock for District 1, since they hardly ever hit anything under double digits.

District 2, which had Patricia and Eddie, had regular scores, meaning that they both scored 10s. In District 3, Joy pulled off an 8, while Fabian surprisingly had a 9.

Mick in District 4 got another 10, and the girl got a 9. I didn't pay attention until District 10, where the boy (named Jerome, as Alfie informed me) got another 10. Now _that _was surprising.

In District 11, the girl, Mara, only got a 5. The boy got a 6.

It was time for District 12. I groaned, and closed my eyes and tucked my head into my chest, pulling my legs up. But, that didn't block the announcer. "And now, what you've all been waiting for, District 12!" the announcer said. "Alfie Lewis got an 11." Alfie looked surprised, pleased and about to vomit all at once. I just bit my lip and waited for my death sentence. "And Nina Martin got a…what?" he asked. "She got a…she got a 12.5?" he stated like it was a question.

What the hell? I…there is no such thing as .5! What were they trying to do? I didn't get it. If anything, I should've gotten 0.5! Suddenly I was extremely angry with the game makers. They thought they were so clever, switching it up on me. My mind flooded with understanding as to why they did that. The Careers would either accept me (which wouldn't happen, since I've always hated the Careers, and they wouldn't want a crazy District 12 girl,) or hunt me. They thought I'd die within a day, and they'd never have to deal with me again.

Everyone was still sitting in silence when I got up, and stalked over to the television. Then, I drew back my arm, and threw a punch straight at the TV. Searing pain soared through my body, but I just took it, and recoiled my fist. It was covered in glass. In fact, I stood in a pool of glass, cuts searing my skin. But, I just calmly brushed the glass from my punching arm, and walked off to my room.

**Some people might be wondering why Nina punched in the TV. That's because I needed to establish that she is strong, possibly even more than Katniss. Also, that she's undoubtedly furious at the Capitol.**


	9. Chapter 9: Interviews

"Really? I need to wear _this?_" I asked, tottering around in extremely high heels. "Yes," Effie said curtly. She was miffed about the broken TV. 'It's not LADYLIKE!' is what she had said.

I almost feel over, but steadied myself on a side table. I winced as my bad hand slapped the wood. The gauze over my right hand had to be changed twice a day, and I had to have a Capitol doctor come and remove glass from my bloodstream, not that I cared if I got blood poisoning or not. It would only hasten my death.

"My turn," I heard Alfie say. I turned around, and sighed in relief. Alfie hadn't talked to me ever since the TV incident. I think he had come to the conclusion that no matter I said I definitely was crazy. "Finally!" I said, taking off the wretched shoes and throwing them at Effie. "I'm not wearing them," I warned, and ran off to Haymitch.

oOoOoOo

Haymitch was worse than Effie. He studied me for a while, and made me take different approaches to various questions, until I was about to explode at saying sweetly, 'Well yes, but I can't even handle a point because I'm so weak.'

"Okay, I have no idea what to do with you," Haymitch finally said. "Why not just make me crazy?" I asked, absentmindedly rubbing the rough cloth of my bandage. "That might work…" he said, and asked, "Why do you want to be in the Hunger Games?" "That's easy," I said. "I can win, I'm sure of it." He snapped his fingers. "Bingo," he said.

oOoOoOo

"I thought I was supposed to be a flame…?" I asked as I stared at the pure black dress that Ashe had presented. "You are," he said. "It's a variation on my…brother's design," he said, biting his lip when he said 'brother'. "I'm sorry," I whispered, rubbing his shoulder. "Well, just go change." he said roughly. I did what he said.

It was strapless and ended right above the knee. It was tight, and had matching boots that were, thankfully, not that high. I came out, and Ashe fiddled with something for a moment, and smiled, contented. "You'll knock 'em dead," he promised.

oOoOoOo

"Tributes to backstage. Tributes to backstage," an electronically programmed voice said over a speaker. I sucked in a deep breath, and hugged Ashe, who had been getting me ready.

I quickly found the line where we were supposed to be paraded out. I jumped in randomly, accidentally knocking the boy from District 3. "So…" I began to apologize, but I looked into his deep brown eyes and how they melted like chocolate and how he had a melancholy way of holding himself….I snapped out of it, and quickly said, "Wrong place," and tried to turn away, but he grabbed my arm. "We don't have to be in particular placements," he said in a soft, musical voice. "Oh…I'm Nina," I said, all thoughts of leaving erased from my mind. "Fabian," he responded, taking my hand that I hadn't noticed was extended. "I…really should go to Alfie," I said, withdrawing my hand from his. "Wait, you're from District 12?" "Yep, crazy girl at your service," I sighed. I knew I had lifted my façade to a complete stranger, but I couldn't help but trust him. Great, now three people I cared about that would inevitably die if I won.

I was disrupted from my thoughts by Fabian chuckling. Then he started laughing, harder and harder, until he was clutched over wheezing. "Are you okay?" I asked, vaguely concerned. "F-fine. J-just n-need a laugh," was all he could get out before collapsing into more laughs. "People are staring," I hissed, jerking him upwards. Some Peacekeepers looked over at us in interest, but I just beat on him and tried a crazy look in my eyes as I stared back at them. They just shrugged, thinking I was harmless, and turned back to leading us on. Before I could turn back to Fabian, and was about to chat with him again, until we reached the studio. It was time to get serious.

oOoOoOo

District 1 was first. Amber took the 'I'm-so-innocent-yet-so-pretty-can-you-please-help-me' approach, which was bound to get some sponsors, at least from some men.

Ron played the typical proud, confident boy who was surely going to win the Hunger Games. I almost fell asleep while Caeser interviewed him.

Patricia surprisingly didn't look so happy to be there. She was more resigned than anything else while she talked to Flickerman. Eddie just talked about food and stared at Patricia for some reason as she was being interviewed.

The girl from District 3, Joy, was all smiles and happy faces, but it was obviously an act. She had a malicious look in her eyes that said that she was coming out alive whether she was District 3 or not. I sort of respected her for that. Fabian, on the other hand, was completely charismatic with Caeser, joking and just being dynamic. He could've been Peeta's son.

Mick from District 4 was typical, all sporty and acting like he didn't believe that he could die. I zoned out until District 10, where Jerome, Alfie's friend, came on. He was obviously mischievous, the kind of person to set up an elaborate trap in minutes, and kill someone just by setting up a trip wire and attaching some sort of weapon to it. I made a mental note to either kill him when I see him, or have him as an ally.

The girl from 11, Mara, had the same act as Amber, but neither of them was acting. I knew that if I saw her, I wouldn't be able to kill her. Right now my 'DO NOT KILL LIST' was pretty long.

Now it was my turn. I took a deep breath, and stepped onto the stage, smiling widely and waving to every sick person there. Then, I took a seat next to Caeser.

I could immediately feel the dress do something. I looked down, and saw orange flames racing up the black dress. I was a coal in the fire. The same thing happened to my boots.

"Wow, nice outfit!" Caeser said appreciatively. I grinned. "Thanks," I said with false happiness in my voice. "It's such an honor to be here." "Wow, finally someone who appreciates to be here!" Caeser said happily. "Uh, sure," I agreed.

"So, how do you know Alfie?" That question caught me off guard. I tried to remember that the Capitol probably loved the 'besties' and decided to play it up. "We've known each other since we were babies. We're really close." I said. "Wow. I bet your parents want to get you two each other together," Caeser teased. "They're dead," I said curtly. "Oh…sorry," Caeser said, giving me a look of pity. Ugh, I hate looks of pity. "It's fine. I really love my gran, and she totally wants us to become a couple. He's not my type though," I said, redirecting it to Alfie and me. "I imagine he wouldn't be. Little bit of a prankster, that one. I bet that he's had thousands of pranks. Speaking of numbers, can you explain the 12.5 you got?" Caeser asked, leading to yet another tricky topic. I instinctively closed my fist that I had punched with. It had a cut along the back of my hand that went diagonally across it. It still throbbed when you put the slightest bit of pressure on it.

"Ah, but if I told you it wouldn't be a surprise in the arena," I smiled cunningly. "Well, you'll surely be a killer in the arena. Everyone, Nina Martin!" he grabbed my arm and raised it in the air. I smiled for all it was worth, while I died inside.

**Yep, that's the end. Next chapter is the start of the Hunger Games! Who will die? Who will survive? Even I don't know…**


	10. Chapter 10: The Hunger Games

**I really wanted to update, because I'm looking forward to writing the Hunger Games. Here goes nothing!**

I rolled over in bed and checked the clock. I had to get up soon. I groaned, and sat up. Rubbing my eyes, I noticed I wasn't in Gran's shack. Then, everything came back to me.

The Hunger Games was today. Today was the start of the last days of my life. I felt like crying, but I got up and headed to the dining room. I didn't enjoy the food as usual, and Alfie kept checking to see the time. It was ten minutes before we had to leave. Again, I felt like crying, but that wasn't what strong people did. Effie was overjoyed, talking about how I'd tear up the arena and how proud she was of us.

"Effie?" Katniss asked. "Yes?" she squealed. "SHUT UP." "Oh…" I laughed, and got up to get more orange juice when Ashe and Portia came in. "It's time," they said in perfect synchronization.

oOoOoOo

The outfit I had to wear was similar to Katniss's first Hunger Games. I had green skintight pants, a black tank top, and black sneakers. "Good luck," Ashe whispered, and put something around my neck. I looked down and saw my Eye of Horus necklace around my neck. I was about to cry now. I hugged Ashe. "This won't be the last time I'll see you," he whispered into my ear. I just shook my head. "You're right. You'll just be relaxing at home watching me." I stepped into the tube and mouthed, "Thank you," before I was shot up. I could swear he raised his three middle fingers to me before I reached the arena.

oOoOoOo

_60. 59. 58… _the electronic voice counted down. I scoped the landscape. It was very mountainous, with a river flowing horizontally parallel to the Cornucopia, which was piled high with supplies. Beyond the river was a thick, dark wood.

I took a deep breath, and took a running position. _15…14…._ I checked where Alfie was. He was on the outermost ring, while I was center to the Cornucopia. I envied his position, and it would be harder for me to reach him without getting involved with the action.

_3…2…beep! _The alarm sounded. Before I knew what I was doing, I was already sprinting, grabbing a water bottle and a blanket and racing over to Alfie.

Somebody knocked me off my feet. I looked up and a split second later a spear landed where I was just before. The girl from District Two was about to make another attack, when I threw my water bottle in her face. Before she could register that it wasn't life threatening, I took off, dragging Alfie off his podium and across the stream.

As soon as I was sure that we were deep enough, I threw him off to the side. I would meet up with him later, but right now I needed to be alone.

Footsteps. Someone was following me. I veered off to the right, and zigzagged through the woods. I bounded through the dark, damp wood, panting but not slowing down. I found a boulder formation, and quickly dived behind it. I looked up to see Alfie and Ron, the boy from District 1, looking around, trying to find me. "I don't know where she went!" Alfie exclaimed, holding his bloodied face. Ron sighed, and pushed him to the side. "Maybe…" he started nearing my hiding place, but I quickly picked up a fairly good sized rock and threw it without him noticing to the right. As soon as he heard that clunk, he raced off after it, leaving Alfie behind.

As soon as the Career was a fair distance away, I stood up and brushed myself off. Alfie saw me, and instantly squirmed away. "Relax," I whispered, offering my hand, "We're allies, aren't we?" He took it reluctantly, and I led him back around the boulders. "Why did you leave me?" he asked, still holding what I now noticed was a cut. "You were moving too slowly. Did Ron do that to you?" I asked, moving his hand away. "Yeah, he said he'd kill me if I didn't give him a lead on you." "Well, where there's one Career, there is bound to be more. We have to get moving, I said. I started running again, and Alfie was on my tail. We both ran to the left, trying to get far away from Ron.

oOoOoOo

The light slowly faded, until it was hunted by the shadowy tendrils of darkness. As the light was just begun to stop fighting against the blackness, we had stopped running. Well, Alfie had stopped running. I wanted to keep going, but he complained of blood loss so many times that I feared people would hear him.

"I need food," he groaned. "Alfie you had a good breakfast. What we really need is water," I said, swallowing loudly. "Whatever," he said. "Well, we need to find a place to rest. Katniss had rested in the branches…" I trailed off, but he held up his hand. "No, I am not going to climb trees. I'm scared of heights." I sighed, and said, "I'll be right back. If you hear even a branch snap, run." I headed off, and traveled a little bit until I reached another boulder formation, but this time it looked like there was an avalanche. I scrambled up a big boulder, and found a little crevice. I could barely make it through by bringing my knees to my chest and shuffling my feet, but I eventually made it to the end of the crevice. Instead of just soil like I expected, it was actually a small cave, just big enough to fit two bodies in it. I quickly exited, and told Alfie.

After getting situated in the cave, I took off the sleeping bag that I had been carrying on my shoulders by the straps attached to it, and by the little light left, I quickly tore off a piece of it and gave it to Alfie. He just held it quietly to his face, intent on watching the night, hoping for a report.

Finally, night fell. It was empty for a moment, but then the national anthem started playing. The night flickered to life, and the first face to show was thankfully not from District 1 or 3, but 5. Both from 5 had died, as well as the boy from 6, both from 7 and both people from 8. Then, they flashed ten. Alfie sucked in a deep breath, but it was the girl, not Jerome. He exhaled slowly.

The girl from eleven was able to make it through but not the boy, and of course that was the end. The anthem played again, and the projection disappeared. Both Alfie and I exhaled loudly, which was stupid, because anyone could be around.

I mentally tallied up the number of deaths. It was nine in all. The Capitol was used to more deaths in bloodbaths, and would be screaming for more people dead. I sighed, and flopped down on my sleeping bag. This was going to be the end of me.

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed!**


	11. Chapter 11: Knives

"Nina. Nina, wake up," Alfie whispered, poking my side.

I groaned, and turned over. "Nina, someone's outside." I shot up, and covered Alfie's mouth quickly, and leaned quietly towards the opening of our little hideout.

"I don't understand why we're searching for her if she doesn't even have a weapon," the District 4 girl complained to the Career. Yeah, we were trapped in an invisible cave while they stood outside, oblivious. Great. Just peachy.

"I want to know how the heck she stunned the judges so much," this voice was from Eddie, District 2 guy. And I thought he was decent enough.

"Whatever, let's just find Fabian," this time it was Joy from District 3. What was she doing in the Career gang? She must've impressed them a lot.

"Whatever. She's probably alone. She's like Katniss from the 74th games. We have to find her and take her down before the population gets cut down even further," Ron said. Everyone nodded, and headed their separate ways.

"C'mon Alfie. We need a new camping spot," I said, rolling up the sleeping bag and tossing it out of the crack.

oOoOoOo

"So, what do we do?" Alfie asked as soon as we were a safe distance away from the old campsite. "I think…we should split up. You should head up the mountain to see if the game makers are planning anything to flush us out and make us fight more, and I'll roam to see if we can find anyone friendly or any game or water." He nodded, and gave me a salute. I returned it, smiling, and headed in the opposite direction.

oOoOoOo

I was hearing rushing water when I saw her.

It was the girl from District 2. For some reason, she wasn't with the Careers, which was surprising, because she had picked a fight with me. Her hair was messed up, and she was filling the water bottle I had thrown at her, with water. But most importantly, she had a belt. And around the belt were sharp knives.

I had to get those. I couldn't resist. The fight was not even at all, though. She could kill me with a flick of her hand, and I had absolutely nothing. _Or maybe I do…_

I quickly took off the sleeping bag. I checked the straps, and sure enough they were made of leather. (I hadn't paid attention last night.) What was more was that they were clipped to the fabric, so I could take them on and off. I quickly unclipped one strap, and inspected it. It was the stupidest plan that I had come up with, but I needed a water bottle and some weapons.

I took a deep breath, and appeared on the bank of the creek. Patricia didn't notice me at first, so I said, "Hey, you!" She looked up, and for a moment a scared look came over her. She quickly turned it into a smirk, and reached for her knives. I bared my makeshift whip in anticipation.

Her first shot was very off-kilter. It pierced the tree behind me, and stuck into it pretty hard. I counted the number of knives in the belt. There were six knives, not counting the one stuck into the tree. I had zero chance if she improved any.

I decided to do the next best thing; I cracked the whip against the tree, covering my ears. I knew that anyone stupid enough and brave enough would run toward the sound, which was resounding through the woods. Patricia covered her ears, distracted by the loudness. I ran over and grabbed the belt, and sprinted away before she could tackle me.

oOoOoOo

Later, I had my first kill. It was a poor squirrel who happened to bound straight across my feet, but it was meat. The good thing about knives was that you could use them to skin animals. I hadn't ever cleaned a kill before, so it ended up being a mess and it tasted pretty bad because I didn't have a spit or even a fire, not that I would want one. If you had a fire, it'd let people know where you are.

Everything was pretty calm that night. I was about to scale a tree (I still hadn't found Alfie, but I hadn't heard any cannons being shot) to go to sleep, when I heard it. It was a light buzzing, far off, so I assumed that there was a wasp's nest in the next tree over or something.

But as I had my first foot on the branch, a bug came and swarmed around my head. Then another, and another. I looked into the distance, and located the noise. It was a giant tidal wave of bugs was washing over the stadium, no doubt driving tributes to the Cornucopia. The game makers were bloodthirsty.

**What do you think?**


	12. Chapter 12: The Clearing

**Hey, so I have a feeling that I'm getting more viewers. Thank you!**

_Great, _I thought as I ran away from the insects. I knew that they were herding all the live tributes to the clearing with the Cornucopia. What I needed was a genius maneuver to hide from the bugs AND the Careers.

I looked back for a split second. I was gaining ground on them, but I began to feel tired. I hadn't had water in two days, (I hadn't gotten a drink when I saw Patricia) and it was beginning to show. I processed the image in my mind, and started sprinting faster. The golden glint of the bodies of the wasps' was unmistakable. I was being chased by tracker-jackers.

oOoOoOo

It was just a few more yards now, but I wasn't going at my full speed. I would be winded and tired, which would be a mark for an easy kill.

All that was left was to jump over the river. _Wait, water! _I thought. I quickly jumped into the deep stream, and swam with the current. The tracker-jackers buzzed over the water angrily, but when they threw themselves in, they died instantly. I was unreachable for the moment.

Then, the water lowered. It became shallower and shallower until it was only a foot deep. The game makers _really _wanted me to fight, didn't they? I stood up, and turned around, but the tracker-jackers floated in perfect synchronization, making a barrier wall that separated me from the rest of the forest. I sighed, pulled out a knife, and headed into the clearing.

oOoOoOo

Everyone was in full battle mode by the time I emerged. Most of the Careers ganged up on the poor girl from six, who was running away, but it was no use. They were about to catch up on her. The girl from eleven was fighting with Joy from District 3, and the girl from District 4 was in hot pursuit of Alfie, who had tripped on a root.

I unsheathed one of my knives, and took off after District 4's girl, but not before taking a sip of water from the river. I needed some water if I was going to fight.

She had caught up with Alfie by the time I got there. She had tackled him, and was pointing her sword at his throat. Without thinking twice, I sideswiped her and took her sword, pointing it at her instead. But, she didn't freak out. She held a cold metal to my throat, and without a doubt I knew she had taken one of my knives. I quickly rolled off of her, stood up and backtracked. There we were, I with a sword and knife in my hands and her with a knife. She grinned, and said, "Eddie wanted you to himself, but I think I'll finish you off instead. Who dares to call you a fighter, anyway?"

Alfie sat up, and I noticed he was _right behind her. _I pretended to fumble with my knife, and 'accidentally' dropped it. District 4 started cracking up so hard, she didn't notice that I had tossed the knife right between her feet. I nodded to Alfie slightly, and he took the knife, and slowly stood up.

"Okay, let's get this over with," District 4 said, trying to calm down. "Let's," I agreed, as Alfie stabbed the knife into her back. She gasped, and her tank turned scarlet red. I saw the tip of my knife poking through her stomach, and knew that she wouldn't survive. Her eyes looked at something far away in the distance, and whispered, "Never…thought…" she focused in on me. "Die," she tried to snarl, but she was almost gone. I gently went and ripped out my knife, covered in gore. She screamed, but was immediately silenced by death. Her eyes went glossy, and her ragged breathing silenced.

A cannon shot, and I could hear a distant humming. Then, another cannon shot. Two deaths so far, and only five minutes in. How long were they going to keep us here?

Cold metal pressed against my throat again. I stopped, knowing that if I made a move I was as good as dead. "Ready to die?" Ron whispered, gliding his sword lightly against my throat. "Hmm…more painful and long, or short and to the point?" he asked himself, contemplating.

Before he had a chance to decide, I quickly shoved the still bloody knife into his hand that was holding the sword. I ducked, and turned around so I could see him. He looked surprised that I outmaneuvered him, but he quickly came towards me, baring his sword with pride. I unsheathed another knife-the belt had twelve knives-and threw it toward his neck. He quickly blocked the knife, and narrowed his eyes. He tried feigning an attack and going for another, but I quickly parried, but it was an unfair fight. I only had a knife, while he had a full length sword.

"Maybe I'll just go for your weakling of a partner," he grinned cruelly, and took off after Alfie. Without a second thought, I threw my knife at the back of his neck. It hit dead center. He fell down, and felt the back of his neck. "Ouch," he muttered, and his cannon shot.

I turned around to see the whole Career pack circling me. Even Joy from District 3 had somehow weaseled her way in. They sneered at me, knowing I couldn't fend off all of their numbers. I had killed two of their leaders, and they didn't appreciate it.

Joy tried first. She came at me with her own knives, but I was quicker. I disarmed her, and pointed my knife at her throat. She whimpered slightly, but Mick from District 4 poked three sharp tips into my back. He had a trident?

We stood in a stalemate. If he tried to kill me, Joy would get it, and vice versa. I was trapped in the circle, not knowing what to do. _You deserve to die. You killed two innocent tributes, _a voice said in my head.The voice was right. I was a killer.

I ground the edge of my blade into Joy's arm. She screamed out in pain, and I mauled over her. I sprinted away from the whole scene, hoping that that was enough gore for one day. Two Careers were dead, and the citizens of Panem were probably shocked.

As if it was a routine, Patricia stopped me. This time, I knew I couldn't take her. She had a bow and arrow, and it was aimed at my heart, and she wouldn't miss even if she was terrible. I sighed, and unstrapped the belt of knives. She surprisingly, instead of killing me, did likewise with her bow and arrows. We regarded each other.

_Snap. _It sounded nearby. I quickly whirled around, and grabbed my knives. I threw one in the general direction. "Ah!" I heard someone yell and I took off in that direction.

It was Jerome. He had a knife stuck in his pant leg, but he wasn't hurt. As soon as he saw me approaching, he tugged harder. It was too late though. I had already made it to him.

He closed his eyes, and sucked in a deep breath. "Make it quick," he whispered. "I'm not here to kill you," I whispered. "What?" "Just consider this as a warning," I hissed, and I made a long but shallow cut across his left arm slowly. He winced, but pain was better than death, and he knew it. He was trying not to smirk.

After I finished my little mark on him, I started tugging on my knife. I wanted to conserve as many as possible, and I had already lost two. That was when it happened. It couldn't have taken more than a second, but it happened in slow motion. Jerome screamed, "NINA!" a figure tackled me, and pressed their hands on my throat. I could barely register that they were trying to choke me before black spots danced in front of my face. I tried to suck in a breath, but I was nearly gone. I could already feel myself floating away, my life slipping from my fingertips.

As my eyesight dimmed, I saw another figure slink out of the shadows. They saw me dying in my murderer's arms. They screamed, "GET OFF OF HER!" The murderer just shook me, still keeping their hands on my neck. _It's too late. My senses are shutting off. I tried Gran, I really tried… _I thought. I was sure those would be my last thoughts, but the figure tackled my attacker, and the pressure was lifted from my neck.

I grabbed it, and took a deep breath. It hurt my already-burning lungs though, and I started hyperventilating. I turned to my side, and saw someone running away. A person put their hand on my side, and said, "Nina? Nina, you'll be okay. Don't die on me."

**So, this chapter I killed off anyone who wasn't in Anubis. Now is when people you know and possibly love are going to die. Who knows, Nina might die next chapter if I don't get any reviews! So, review PLEASE!**


	13. Chapter 13: Betrayed

"Nina? Nina, are you awake?" My gran asked, shaking me gently. I groaned, and rolled over in my straw mattress. "Nina, wake up," Gran insisted. "5 more minutes, Gran," I mumbled, reaching over to grab her arm to stop her from shaking me. It was more muscular than Gran's though, and more fuzzy with hair. I traced the arm up to a neck, and then a face. That definitely wasn't Gran's face. It was youthful, not wrinkled with age, and the way it was chiseled, I could tell that it was a guy.

I shot up from my bed, expecting that they were an intruder. But, instead of the leaky ceiling of our shed, I stared at the sky, trees straining to touch it. I whirled my head around, confused.

There sat the cutest guy I had ever seen. His chocolate brown eyes stared into mine worriedly, and his mahogany brown hair fell into his eyes perfectly. Something was wrong, though. His hair was messy and had mud in it and his dark t-shirt and green trousers were caked with dirt and soaked with water. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

_Where am I? _I wondered. I stared down at myself, and I had the exact same outfit, except I wore a tank top. I decided to run through the facts in my head. I heard that that was what Katniss Everdeen did when she felt woozy.

_Katniss…_all of a sudden a flood of memories came back. I sighed, and flopped on the ground. "Why am I not dead?" I asked the sky. "I tackled the person who was strangling you. You've been out for two days." "Any more deaths?" "No, but I'm sure that now that you're awake, we'll run into someone definitely." I sighed. "Why did you save me?" "Because," Fabian whispered, "I think there's more to you then the cover story says."

oOoOoOo

I insisted that I was fine, but Fabian wouldn't let me work. "Bruises like those just don't heal in five minutes," is what he said. He left to go hunting, promising to be back by nightfall. And for some reason, I believed him. I believed he would be back to tend to me, to help me recover. _Recover…ugh. If only I'd been more aware…_ I thought angrily.

I decided to try and stand. It might be hard, since the bruises on my neck made it ache whenever I breathed harder than a shallow gasp, but I needed to be on my feet and able to run in case of attack.

I took a few wobbly steps before my legs collapsed. However, I took a deep breath-who cared if it ached?-and hoisted myself up again. The sooner up, the sooner I was stronger.

I slowly but surely made my way away from Fabian's makeshift camp, just a few feet shy of where I had been choking. I searched all over for my knife, but I couldn't find it. I could've sworn it was in the tree with a hole in it, exactly where.

As I bent down to check the knife hole, I noticed a tiny, almost invisible wire coiling around the tree, and, more importantly, right above my back. "Nice try, Jerome," I smirked.

"Wrong," a distinctly female voice called. Amber jumped down from a high branch which had concealed her from me. "Okay, sorry Amber. Can you please get me out of this mess, though?" Amber frowned, staring at my waist. I knew it was the blades she was looking at. "C-can't you do it yourself?" she asked.

I understood. She didn't trust me. "Amber, look at the bruises on my neck. I literally just came back from the dead, and I'm not the most energetic person right now."

"And that's a plus for us," an unfriendly voice snarled. I immediately cut the wire with my knife, and whirled around. There stood Jerome and Alfie, Jerome wielding a sword and Alfie a slingshot, which wouldn't be so dangerous, except that he had my knife hooked up to it.

"A-Alfie?" I asked, lowering my blade. I expected him to do the same, but he kept on holding the slingshot with sweaty hands. I looked at Jerome wonderingly, but his eyes were cold and hard. I knew that he was a cold blooded killer in that moment. I bit my lip, and prepared to fight to the death.

"Go on then. Fight us," I snarled, trying not to sound hurt and betrayed. I helped him and risked my life on more than one occasion, and this was how he thanked me? "Payback for the little scar you gave me," Jerome hissed, and he lunged at me.

I waited for pain, for my inescapable fate, but it never struck. I opened my eyes to see Jerome down on the ground, a spear in his thigh. I looked up to see a flash of red hair disappear into the woods. Patricia from District 2. Why would she save me?

It didn't matter now. Jerome was rapidly losing blood, and I certainly wouldn't be one to nurse him back to health. I stared at Alfie, my ex ally.

He moved his knife back, but before he could do anything I found myself on him, knife pointed at his heart. "Traitor," I hissed, the point poking into his shirt. He looked up at me with sad eyes. "Go ahead, kill me," he whispered. "Why?" I asked, trying to hide my confusion. "Because," he said mournfully, "I was the one who attacked you in the woods."

**Ooh! I wasn't even expecting that . The next chapter is actually from Jerome's point of view. Maybe he dies or maybe he doesn't. Seriously, it's you guys' choice in the reviews. Oh, and that means this story either takes one path or another, so choose wisely. By the way, thank you so much for my reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14: Author's note please read!

**Okay, I am aware that I'm being needy, but I felt like Chapter 13 was a good chapter, and I GOT ZERO REVIEWS. Nada. Zilch. Not even a letter. I would count that as a review, provided that they were going to write more. But no. No reviews. **

**It may sound pushy, BUT I WOULD EXTREMELY APPRECIATE REVIEWS. Reviews make me feel like people read and appreciated my writing. Even two reviews would make me happy. **

**It's especially sad because I already have two versions of Jerome's fate written. So please, choose a fate for him. P.S. either way he meets Mara.**

**So thank you if you read this, and if you have any constructive criticism, it is accepted.**


	15. Chapter 15: Injured

Jerome

Sometimes, if you've had blinding pain for a long period of time, it dulls to a point that you don't even notice the hurt. That was where I had gotten to. I blocked out the hurt since I had lived with it for hours upon end. I knew every camera was focused on me.

Why couldn't I die peacefully? Night was falling and the Grimm Reaper still hadn't come for me. I thought about my sister and my mother. Could they watch? Or had they just accepted that I was going to die as soon as I volunteered for James?

James was a 12 year old boy from District 10. His brother had been killed in the 74th games, and James had stopped talking for a year. He had been only 9 at the time, and looked at his brother like his idol for most of his life, since his brother had overcome being crippled. He had honestly thought that his brother would win.

The minute his name came out of that stupid Capitol announcer's mouth, his mother collapsed. She was a single mother-their father had died of a common cold, but no one had any medical supplies to help him-and she loved her two sons to death, and when her eldest died, she clutched onto James like he was the only thing keeping her going.

That was why I volunteered. Me and my stupid sensitive side, my soft spot for sob stories. I hadn't been thinking when I called out the two words that had been the death of me: "I volunteer!"

Rustling nearby brought me out of my thoughts. I groaned, thinking that it would be the girl with the spear coming to finish me off, surprised that I hadn't died yet.

A dark shadow burst out of the undergrowth. They gasped when they saw me with the spear in my thigh, and rushed towards me. I closed my eyes, knowing that this time it would be the death of me.

Gentle hands rolled me onto my side, and then slightly tugged at the spear. I groaned, a fresh wave of pain rolling over me. "I'm sorry," she whispered, "but I have to. Just hold on." She yanked at it hard, and I couldn't help but yell in pain. "Shhh," she said quietly, "You'll be alright. You have to be alright." "Who…who are you?" I asked, my voice echoing inside my head. "Mara. From District 11," she stated, closing my eyes. "You go to sleep. I promise you, you won't die."

oOoOoOo

When I woke up, it was just breaking dawn. A raven haired girl slept nearby, while I was propped up on a tree. A sharp pain in my left leg reminded me of what happened.

I looked down at the ground. A pool of blood far from dried swam at the edge of my feet. I glanced at my left side, and a tiny river flowed down the hill to the puddle.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself for glancing at my wound. I always hated blood, even though everyone teased me about being a wimp about that.

I looked down quickly, and saw that part of my pant leg had been cut open, and a blood soaked gauze bandage covered a large area of my thigh. I touched the bandage, and my fingers came up red. I looked around the clearing, and found at least five other bandages were strewed around it.

Mara stirred. I tensed up, knowing that all the while she had been treating me; she could've just been poisoning me.

She got up and stretched, and immediately went to check on my bandage. She sighed when she saw that it had bled through. "You might want to look away," she suggested as she pulled a fresh one out of her pack. "Why?" I asked crossly. She shrugged. "Fine. Don't," she said as she pulled the tape off of my skin, so that she could remove the gauze.

I sighed, but looked away. I felt her rub something on my surrounding skin around the wound, and it cooled the skin, leaving a feeling of satisfaction. I let out a deep breath as she looked at the wound. "I'll have to sew it up," she announced. "You'll have to _what?" _I asked. "Sew it up," she said plainly.

She searched through her pack until she came up with a needle and some white thread. She poked the needle in my skin, and I winced. She tugged it through, but stopped halfway through. "It's too wide," she said in a disparaging voice. She put her hands on her head and guided it between her legs. "You've lost too much blood." "W-what?" I asked nervously. "Jerome," Mara said, turning to me with tears shimmering in her dark eyes, "You're going to die."

oOoOoOo

It's an odd feeling, knowing that you're going to die in the next few hours. At least death wasn't going to creep up on me, though. _But what about Poppy and Mother? _I had to ask myself. How were they going to fend for themselves without a male in the house? I sighed. That was my reaction to being told that I was going to die.

"Aren't you…going to _react?" _the pretty girl sitting next to me asked. "I knew it," I muttered. I wanted to do more than say that-I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs for the Capitol to man up and help, probably with stronger language-but I had family, family they could hurt if I said those things. I now had nothing to lose, but Poppy and Mother had plenty.

I felt Mara shift next to me. I looked up and saw her packing up her bag, and I realized she was leaving me. She was leaving me. I was going to die alone. "Mara, stop!" I said. She paused slightly, and tilted her head, salty tears dropping on the mossy floor.

"Please, don't leave me," I whispered. That was when it finally hit me. I was dying. I'd never find love, get a job, get old, and die peacefully, knowing that my wife and kids loved me. I was just a boy who was sacrificed in the Hunger Games now; I'd never have a house in the Victor's village, or hug Poppy again. I started shaking, and my vision blurred. I knew I was crying, and I vaguely felt two arms hugging me.

We didn't talk. What was the use to talk to a person when you were going to die? I just let the tears stream down my face.

I felt myself slipping away. The pain in my leg was less acute, my hearing dulled, and my sight, which was already obscured, dimmed. I knew it was my time.

I kissed Mara. It wasn't from love or passion, but a last feeling of safety. Mara quickly kissed back. I could feel my body shutting down. My breath is shallow and my heart fluttered, resigned that it would stop beating soon.

Mara pulled away, and cupped my face. "I'll see you soon," she choked out. "Not too soon…" I mumbled. "Jerome-" "Mara, don't give in. Try, for me. Please," I whispered, my voice going away slowly. The only feeling left was sadness, and that was numbing. "Jerome, don't you dare leave me!" Mara's voice echoed in my head. "JEROME! NO!" The last thing I heard was a cannon shot before my vision faded to black.

Mara

Glassy eyes stared at me, with no glimmer of mischievousness or life. He was gone for good. A cannon shot rang through the arena, but I was focused on his last words ringing in my head: "Mara, don't give in. Try, for me. Please." "I will," I whispered, closing his eyes gently. "You deserved to win, though." That was when I decided it.

I was never an assertive girl, but staring at Jerome who was dead, his arms still wrapped around me, gave me hope, like Katniss had given me hope. I knew they had probably switched to the Careers, so I took off Jerome's shirt gently, and shakily took his blood and finger painted. I put back on his shirt, and covered my head with my hands.

"I'm sorry, Jerome." I whispered to the sky. Then, taking my three middle fingers, I saluted him. I saluted all of the dead tributes, all of the living ones. I swore to myself that I wouldn't ever kill anyone. Nobody deserved to have their fire taken away from them.

**So what do you think Mara painted on Jerome's chest? I gave a hint. P.S. thank you for all the reviews. I know I was being snippy, but you guys really came through and made me feel special. And the guest who reviewed right after karaliza76, your review, honest to god, made me cry. Thank you for that beautiful review!**


	16. Chapter 16: The Parachute

**Thank you so much for the reviews! Timeforpie, thank you so much for that review, I'm sorry I haven't PMed you back but my PM jammed up AGAIN and I didn't even know you wrote back until yesterday. And Guest, your reviews always make me smile. Thank you both!**

There I was, alone again. I was glad to be alone, yet I had the urge to find Amber and Fabian. Fabian had taken care of me when I was hurt, and I ran off on him, and I left Amber after promising that we'd be allies. Of course, I had promised Alfie that we'd be partners, too.

_(Flashback)_

"_Go ahead, kill me," he whispered. "Why?" I asked, trying to hide my confusion. "Because," he said mournfully, "I was the one who attacked you in the woods."_

_ I froze. Why would he do that? I saved his life more than once. Why the hell would he do that? I bit back the rage boiling in me, telling me to slit his puny little throat and be done with his stupid lies, and tried to figure out why he would do that._

_ As soon as I calmed down, I came up with the answer. He thought I was a danger, someone unable to be trusted. "You ignorant, weak, undesirable little weasel. I should've killed you when I had the chance," I spat at him, taking my blade away from his neck. He looked at me in confusion._

_ "Of course," I continued, grabbing his right arm, "That wouldn't give me the pleasure of seeing you in pain." Before he could register what that meant, I dragged my knife horizontally down his forearm. He screamed in pain, which made me plunge my knife deeper as I made my second cut._

_ After I was satisfied with my work, I sat back and got off of him, as he looked at me with absolute fear in his eyes. "Never," I said, pointing my knife at his heart, "Ever come into my sight again." He nodded, tears pouring from his eyes as I sprinted away, leaving Amber dumbstruck, Jerome half dead, and Alfie with the word 'Nina' carved into his skin far away in my tracks._

_(End of Flashback)_

I wanted to cry. I had promised myself to never become a killer in the Games, no matter what, and I had already killed two people. I didn't want the Games to change me, but I was ruthless now, cutthroat and to the point. I was horrified that if I survived, I wouldn't survive as me. I would survive as someone severely broken, someone changed so much that they can't even recognize their face in the mirror.

And that's what I did. I sobbed, not caring for once about sponsors or the Capitol or surviving. I'd rather die than be alive and live with my conscience for the rest of my life. I'd rather…

_Thud. _I was snapped out of my thoughts by a sound. I looked quickly around, and saw a parachute sitting right next to me. A gift from my mentors. I grabbed the silver container, and cracked it open.

Inside were a plastic container and a spoon. The container was full of wild rice, cooked chicken, and vegetables. I picked it up hungrily, but a note fell out. I picked it up curiously, and it said: _Stop crying. _I laughed, imagining Haymitch arguing with Katniss and Peeta, and slipping the note in without them knowing.

I tore off the lid and was about to take a massive spoonful of the meal, when a voice called from above me: "Can I have some?" I jumped, and looked up to see the death of me. Literally.

There sat Patricia Williamson, lounging on a branch 50 feet in the air lazily and staring down at me with those eyes that could make a lion quiver and run for its mommy. "What are you doing here?" I was surprised my voice still worked. "Oh, just in the neighborhood," she said easily, starting to climb down. "You could've killed me at any time in the last fifteen minutes," I pointed out. "I know," was her response.

She hopped down from the final branch, and regarded me. Then, she unstrapped her bow and quiver from her back, and dropped it at her feet. She raised her eyebrows at me, and I hastily took off my belt of knives, and waited for my death sentence. "So, are you going to give me some food or not?" she asked, going over to the parachute. I sat down, knowing that I had to deal with her, or else I was as good as dead.

I watched as she took a bite of the food, and then handed the spoon to me. I took a spoonful and swallowed, and handed it back in silence. We ate in uneasy silence, since I was expecting her to take out a knife and slit my throat.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked as we finished up the meal. "You to kill me," I said simply. She laughed, and said, "Why would I kill you? Instead of letting that slimeball from District 10 slice you to pieces, I threw my spear at him. No, I won't kill you, but it would probably be safer for me to." "Why not?" I couldn't help but blurt out. Patricia sighed. "Are you really this annoying? Look, I'm not killing you because you took down two Careers. I think that this would be…an interesting alliance. So either you take me up, or I go to those bozo Careers. Okay?" I nodded, knowing that I couldn't let her go to the Careers. The Careers are dangerous on their own, but if Patricia joined it would be absolutely lethal.

I looked at the sky. It was fading to a light pink, and no cannon had shot yet. Jerome wasn't dead? He must be close to the end. I sighed, wondering if tomorrow if I'd still be alive. It was probably a 50/50 chance.

Patricia picked up her bow and arrows, and started scaling the large tree in front of us. "You coming?" she called as soon as she was on the same branch that she had been on when I was crying. "Yeah, I guess so," I said, climbing the tree until I reached a nice, large branch pretty far off the ground. I took off the straps of my still handy sleeping bag, and put it on. I used the straps as a tether to the tree, using the same technique that Katniss had used in her Hunger Games.

Apparently I had dozed off, because my eyes shot open when the Capitol anthem filled my ears, and I looked around, disoriented. After the anthem finished, instead of seeing Jerome's face, it shut off. He made it through the day? It couldn't be.

I looked at Patricia. She was dead asleep, mumbling unintelligible words in her sleep. That was when I knew I couldn't do it. The alliance, I mean. After Alfie betrayed me, I couldn't trust anyone, especially a person as deadly as Patricia.

I quietly took off the straps of my sleeping bag, and climbed down the tree. I knew when Patricia woke up and didn't see me, she'd be angry. Angry and murderous.

But this is what I needed to do. I needed to be alone, to stop making ties with people. Ties meant softness, and softness meant certain death. And I may have a chance now. Just a slight one, but a chance nonetheless.

I climbed down the tree, and took off. I didn't know where I was running, just…away. That is, I was running, until I heard voices.

"…need to find her before it narrows down any more!" I heard a very familiar female voice exclaim. It was Joy, from District Three. Where were they? It was so dark I couldn't see my hand in front of my face. "Wait, did you guys just hear something?" I did a one eighty turn and saw them. They were sitting at a fire, and there were only three of them. Joy, Mick, and Eddie, and they were sitting not ten feet away from me.

"I don't know," Mick said, fiddling with the tip of his trident. "Why not, meathead?" Joy asked, annoyed. "Because she killed Ron AND Narcissi without getting a scratch on her, and was about to kill you too!" Mick exploded. Joy sighed, rubbing a deep scar that ran from her forearm to her elbow. The scar that I had created. "Fine, we'll just go after Patricia," Joy grumbled. "No," Eddie said quickly.

"Why can't we kill her? You've been protesting that since the Games begun!" she said angrily. "Well…I just think…" he was at a loss of words. Luckily for him, Mick turned my way, and of course took notice of my shining eyes. "SHE'S HERE!" he screamed, and, as if she was waiting for this moment, Joy bolted for me.

_ Of course I would get chased. Why can't I freaking eavesdrop without being caught? _I wondered as I scrambled to get away. Joy was right on my tail as I zigzagged left and right, trying to lose her. "Give up, twelve," she hissed throwing something. It hit a tree in front of me with a thud, and an ear splitting shriek from a bird erupted.

I was gaining speed, until I came across…a boulder. I scrambled on top of it, but Joy was right there with me. "Give up, twelve," she said again, pulling out a large knife. "NEVER LIGHT BULB!" I yelled, knowing that Joy would get extremely angry at me for screaming. "That's it!" she lunged at me, but I quickly sidestepped at the last minute. She screamed as she fell, until I heard a big thump. I looked down to see her figure lying in a pile of vines. Poison ivy, no doubt, and that drop was so long she must've broken a bone or two. I laughed as she screamed, "THIS IS NOT OVER!" and blew her a kiss.

Hopefully come daybreak, Jerome would be gone and I wouldn't mind killing off Joy. It was terrible, but I had to survive.


	17. Chapter 17: Nightmares

**I'm making a comeback, baby! Terrible writer's block can give people great ideas =P. Sorry that I haven't updated in, like, two months!**

Mara

_"JEROME! NO!" I yelled as a cannon fired. A silver tear raced down his cheek, and I wiped it away for him, biting back more tears. He was truly dead, and there was nothing I could do. 'Mara, don't give in. Try for me, please.' his words echoed in my head, bouncing around and hurting my brain. How could I try when he was dead, though? "I will," I promised, pulling up his shirt and painting. My hand couldn't control itself. I painted Katniss's mockingjay pin, surrounded by flames._

_ Jerome coughed, and he smiled at me, but it was a cold, reptilian smile, not the kind, pained boy I knew. "Jerome?" I choked out, reaching out to him. His forked tongue flicked in between his shark-like fangs as he held me down, holding a poisoned blade at my neck. I tried to scream as he pressed the sharp end into my throat, but he was suffocating me. All I could do was stare into those coldblooded eyes with no emotion except hate to fuel him. He wasn't Jerome but Ron now, and every other tribute that tried or will try to hurt me. I squeaked in terror as Nina killed me slowly…_

"AAH!" I yelled and shot up into a sitting position. It was just a dream. It was just a dream… I took in my surroundings. I was hidden in a bush not far from where Jerome had…left. I would've gone farther, but I was too strained with bearing the knowledge of an innocent person's death to stumble very far.

I had to move. Somebody would've heard my scream somewhere, and they will surely come after me. What time was it anyway? I glanced at the sky to see that it was twilight. Twilight…the time between the day's death and transition to afterlife, to night. I was in twilight, myself.

I numbly stood up and brushed myself off, grabbing my backpack full of medical supplies that I had hidden in a leaf pile. I picked my way through the roots, and walked slowly away from my sleeping site. I would've run, but I felt dead inside, like I was pulling a ten ton bag of coal with me. Something moved in the corner of my eye, and I turned around just in time to be tackled by a redheaded demon, her green eyes glowing maliciously.

oOoOoOo

Eddie

Joy still hadn't returned from her chase with Nina, and it had been almost twenty four hours. Mick had been more stubborn about looking for her, but after searching for who knows how long, (probably an hour at best) we gave up. She was still out there—we had heard a cannon, but that was for Jerome, since we saw the hovercraft lift his body into the air—and she'd find her way back.

"Hey, it's getting dark. I'll take first watch," I told Mick. He nodded and immediately dozed off, not even bothering to keep a hand on his sword. I stared at him, knowing that I could kill him in an instant and he wouldn't even have time to react. I turned back to the great wilderness.

The forest was dead silent. Not even an owl hooted, and the quiet created a melody of sounds unheard so loud I wanted to shout and break it. I exhaled through my nose and looked down at my hands. I slowly, so nobody could see it, took off a leather cord with a locket on the end. I held it into the fire, enabling me to stare at the oval. I opened it, staring at a picture of me…and my girlfriend. Her auburn hair shined, and her green eyes smiled into the camera as she kicked me out of frame. I missed Patricia so much. And now I would die, maybe by her hands.

A cannon pierced the air, making me jump. Then I noticed just how close that had sounded…

oOoOoOo

Nina

I moved through the wood on deer's feet, trying not to make a sound as I tried to find a place to rest. No tree was perfect enough, no cave secluded. Maybe I was on edge because Patricia and Joy were after me, but I felt tingles up and down my spine, like a death would happen soon, and I _didn't _want it to be mine.

I finally settled down in a bough of a high and sturdy tree that had plenty of leaves covering the alcove I snuggled into. I arranged myself the same way Katniss had in her first games, and soon drifted off to sleep.

_**BOOM! **_The vibration sent me over the branch, dangling by a thin strip of leather from a tree as the earth shook from the impact of the noise. My still groggy mind tried to process what was happening when one thought came to me: _Cannon. _A shock was sent through my body and I shoved myself back onto the branch and quickly got myself untangled, I dropped down, not minding the height from where I was falling, and started bolting from my tree, knowing that the killer would be on the loose.

I ran blindly, stumbling over roots and running into saplings that I swear the game makers were creating to annoy me. I tripped over undergrowth, and fell flat on my face. I got up and shook my head, and saw the body. He was mangled and bleeding, his eyes focused on me. He held his hand out to me, and whispered, "Help me." All I could do was stare in horror. "F-Fabian?"

**So…whaddaya think?**


	18. Chapter 18: Patricia's Story

**Hey guys! I was just surfing YouTube when I came across this song called 'Dead and Gone' by someone called T.I. Do you know him? Well, I listened to the lyrics and suddenly I got the urge to write a new chapter for this. Sorry that I've been ignoring all my stories, I just have WAY too much stuff going on in my life right now. But enough of my babble and onto the story!**

Patricia

I looked at the dead girl in front of me. Her black curls framed her olive complexion, and her dark eyes, once beautiful, were now glassy and unfocused. Her name had been Mara. She had loved, she had been loved, and she had had a life. A cold, metallic blade wielded by my own hand had ended all of that.

Something lumped up in my throat, and my eyes started stinging. What was this? It was tears. I hadn't cried since I was little. Even when Piper had been called, I didn't cry. Even when Eddie volunteered just to protect me, I didn't cry. Why was I crying now? I was Patricia. I was tough; I was a tribute in the Hunger Games. Tributes don't cry. Nina did, but she was weak. I knew that when she left me in that tree.

But she hadn't done anything to me. I just ran across her in the woods, and…I don't know. I was out for blood because…I overheard Eddie and Mick talking. They were saying who they should kill next, and I was on the list, Mick said.

_Oh, Eddie…_ District 2 may be one of the wealthier districts of Panem, but Piper and I had always lived in the slums. Our 'house' was actually an old abandoned warehouse that our mother had managed to find a way into. We hardly had enough money to even buy tinder during the winter to keep us all warm. Our mother honestly tried to hold down a job for us to get a house, but her bosses always ended up firing her because she _looked _like a poor person.

It continued until we were ten. Mom had taken to begging on the streets, but we had little enough to eat and even less for necessities like firewood and a change of clothes. Piper and I still attended school, but we were bullied for being poor and dingy. Then, the worst possible thing that could happen, happened. Mother became ill.

She swore she wasn't sick for weeks, but one day she just collapsed in the market. I found her in the rain after school and dragged her all the way to the dirty warehouse. I wrapped threadbare blankets around her and boiled water over a fire I built from scratch. I kept her alive for weeks, but she needed round the clock care that I couldn't give. Piper just sobbed, unsure what would happen to us. If we went to foster care, we would be abused. No doubt about it. Our lifestyle was at least a little better than that. I wouldn't let that happen to our family.

I was only ten, though. A month after mom's collapse, I dropped out of school. Whenever mother had her wits (which wasn't often) she'd beg me not to, but her pleas fell on selectively deaf ears. Mother had, if possible, gotten more ill over that month, and if I carried on with my ignorant care, she'd be dead the next week. Also, I couldn't muster the change needed to feed us. We were all going to die if I didn't.

So the very next day, I went out into town with a tin cup, determined to beg annoyingly and unceasingly until someone gave me money.

No one gave me anything. I followed people, I yelled at them, I tried sob stories, and I even offered services in order for change. But all I got was an empty cup and a face full of dirt from people throwing it at me in order for me to stop bothering them. Defeated, I lingered in the square, staring at the bakery with longing eyes.

"You look like you need something to eat," a voice announced from behind me. I turned around warily. It wouldn't be the first time I daydreamed of a person giving me kindness, and I might've just been sleeping. But no, there stood a boy about my age, smirking at me. His golden hair glinted in the dimming light, and his light blue eyes shimmered with amusement, but underlying concern.

"I'm fine," I choked out, but the growling in my stomach betrayed me. "Oh, is that so? Because your stomach sounds like a lion's when it hasn't been fed for a week." "It isn't like you'd help me anyways," I snipped, glaring at him. He obviously got regular meals and an actual bed to lie in. Why couldn't I have those same things?

"Wait," he caught my arm, and pulled me towards him. "You can't go without help. I'm going to buy you whatever food you want, and you're taking me to your home. I'm going to help you." And so I had to, since he wouldn't let me out of his sight for fear I'd run away. For a ten year old he certainly carried around a lot of money, and I nearly bought up everything in the bakery because it all looked so good.

True to his promise, he persuaded his family to help us. We were brought food daily, they bought medicine for my mother, and they provided us with clothes. Mother was employed by them to help in their clothing store, and I helped here and there by doing odd jobs to earn money. By the end of the year, we had enough to move out of the warehouse and into an actual house.

Four years later, Eddie asked me out. We'd been going out for a full year before the reaping, and now…

I looked over to where Mara had been. I'd been sitting there so long that I hadn't noticed that a hovercraft had picked her up. I stared at the blood splotch on the ground. Now she was just a memory, and her face would become fuzzy and distorted until no one could remember just exactly what her eyes looked like, just how exactly her curls framed her face. I did that. Her family would hate me forever because of this. "I'm sorry," I whispered to the stars. "I'm so, so sorry."

**I'm going to make multiple chapters, explaining what's happening with each character. Next chapter, Nina and Fabian! P.S., where is Amber, Joy, and Alfie? You'll find out soon ****.**


	19. Chapter 19: Mending

**Oh god….so sorry…**_**I'm so sorry…I'M SORRY!**_

Nina

"FABIAN!" I didn't know why I was crying, but he was in front of me and his body was dead, oh god he was dead, there was nothing I could do, nothing to live for, we were all going to die anyway…_check for a pulse, _a little part of my brain that was still functioning said. I crawled over to him, and pressed my fingers deep into his wrist. There was nothing. _Nothing_…no. There was a little beat there. Please, god, let him live. Was I imagining it? I couldn't be. No, no, no, he couldn't be dead. I pressed my ear down onto his bloody chest, and sure enough, there was his heart, too slow but working.

"Don't you dare die on me," I said to him, but he was unconscious. It was too dark to see, but I picked up his arms and dragged him anyway, dragged him anywhere, and I was stumbling over roots again and it was raining but Fabian wasn't going to die on me, he couldn't die on me. I didn't know why, but I cared about him more than the others and if he died I would die too. That just couldn't happen. It wouldn't happen.

Somehow I found a cave, and I put Fabian down on it, and quickly started sorting out what was in his pack. He had to have some kind of medicinal thing, since he healed me from my suffocation/coma thingy. Sure enough, he had a lantern, a water bottle, and a lot of sterile pads that took out infection. He must've been lucky at the cornucopia, because even the backpack he had was potentially useful.

I switched on the lantern and nearly fainted. He was totally bloody and his arm was bent in a weird way. His eyes were rolled back into his head. I had to check to see if he was even alive, first. I bent down near his chest and heard his heart, even slower, until one time, it stopped. My eyes widened and I beat on his chest, not knowing how to make it work but banging on it randomly, thinking _no, god please, what did I do, please, just stay with me Fabian, stay with me, you WILL STAY WITH ME._ All of a sudden it started up again, and I almost sobbed with relief.

Once I made sure he wasn't going to die for a minute again, I moved the lantern closer to his body. He had a lot of slashes at his body, and the cave floor where he lay was coated in red, sticky blood. I bit my lip and tried to block out the smell, instead paying attention to his wounds. I stripped him down to his underwear, and closed my eyes, hoping it would go away. He must've had twenty slices on his skin, and that was only his front side. When I turned him over, I saw ten more gashes on him. _Breathe,_ I told myself. I set the water bottle outside in the rain first off, and when it was full enough—it was pouring outside, so it only took five minutes—I cut some fabric from my sleeping bag with one of my knives, and dipped it in the water. I cleaned all the shallow cuts, which luckily were the majority of them, and slipped some sterile pads on them, taking out any potential infections. After I accomplished that much, I tore off more cloth from my sleeping bag and wrapped up all of the cuts.

I sighed in relief. That only left his arm and five deep gashes, all on his backside. Fabian's breathing evened out, less shallow now that he wasn't having so much blood loss. But what could I do about his arm? I still needed a sleeping bag for him to rest on, as well as some way to take care of the gashes. I didn't have any bandages, or anyway to take out any possible infection, because I didn't have any sterile pads left.

All of a sudden I heard a thud at the mouth of the cave. I ran forward, and saw it was a silver parachute. I couldn't help but smile. We could make out alive after all. I sprinted back to Fabian, and ripped open the parachute eagerly, inside were some bandages, a bottle of clear liquid, and a sling. It didn't have any note, so…maybe it was Fabian's sponsor? This seemed too obvious for Haymitch or even Katniss's style, and there's no way Peeta could've done this on his own. Either way, I was going to put it to good use.

I looked at the bottle of liquid in the light. It was bubbly and when I sniffed it, it smelled a bit like rubbing alcohol, but I knew it wasn't. It was hydrogen peroxide, like the kind that is sold in the cleaning supplies stall at the market. I grabbed a shred of my sleeping bag and poured a bit on the black cloth, and spread it on one of his wounds. His body tensed, and he murmured, "Ow."

I froze. "You're awake?" I whispered. "Barely," he said, his voice just as quiet. I removed the cloth, dunked a little more on that, and put it on another wound. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, his voice barely audible. It was obvious he was going to go unconscious again. I waited a few minutes, and checked his breathing again. He was asleep again. I leaned in close, and whispered into his ear, "I like you, that's why."

**I'm sorry, yet again!**


	20. AN: See You Soon

** Hey, guys. To ease your worried minds, don't worry. I'm not leaving FanFiction. It's more of a…see you soon. It's become to keep up with this and schoolwork and extra things I'm doing, so I've decided to just warn you that I might not post until summer. Don't worry though, I'm definitely coming back, and I'll frequent the website if someone wants to PM me, I just won't be posting chapters of my stories. I mean, I might once in a blue moon, but more likely than not I'll go several weeks without posting. (I have pulled those stunts before, though, so you all probably saw this coming.)**

** Some notes about my active stories:**

**The Silver Watch:**** Don't worry, definitely continuing that one. I just don't know how to write the second chapter, so I've been writing and rewriting that one.**

**Fighters:**** That one's really fun to write, so I might update that one a little more than the rest ****.**

**The Chosen Ones:**** I've actually been thinking of maybe-sort-of-discontinuing that…but if I continue, please tell me whether I should skip to the fourth year or not!**

**House of Fame:**** I probably won't update that until summer, but I did recently come out with a new chapter, and nobody's reviewed…AT ALL. That makes me kind of sad…also, I might split the tour into two books.**

**The Last Prophecy:**** Never fear, coming out with a new chapter soon! They're at Camp Half-Blood, and they'll meet some of the OCs. Sorry if I don't use yours at first, there's a TON. They're all great, though!**

** So…I guess that's it…see you soon, then.**

** Lots of love,**

** Don'tEvenBlink**


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